Fireflies
by SilentStorm14
Summary: Just because you can't see it, doesn't mean it's not there. First journey into The Doph, plus cannon pairings.
1. Chapter 1

The sun was begging to set over Kyoshi Island. Hidden beneath the trees of the lush forests were two slim figures. Neither of them had left their spot for hours, as if they had beenwaiting for something. One of them shuffled anxiously, letting out a low grumble. The peculiar snapping of a twig made the taller one's head lift, then a smile expand on his face. It was definitely what they were waiting for. He pushed the smaller woman around the edge of the tree they were hidden behind, and motioned for her to crouch down.

"Okay, Koko, this is it! Are you ready? She shifted her feet, and shrugged her shoulders.  
"I guess..." The boy didn't seem to catch her lack of figure was walking closer to their location. The boy took a deep breath, and turned back to Koko.  
"Alright, when I give the signal, activate our secret weapon!"  
He was just about to raise his hand when a sudden trembling of earth nearly knocked both of them onto the ground. There was the mild sound of rustling grass, then cries of confusion from the man they were about to ambush.  
The two looked around to see him entirely trapped inside a cocoon of earth, with a smaller figure facing him, hands on her hips.  
"Great, we caught him. Can I go home now?" Koko sighed, picking at some brush that had fallen onto her head.  
Once again, she was ignored. "Toph, I asked you to wait for the signal!" The boy whined.  
"Well, sorry. You guys were taking too long for a surprise attack." She said still facing the stranger.  
This caused the boy to laugh, and run a hand through his black unruly hair. "At least we caught him."

He walked up to the man who was struggling to get out, and talking obscenities to be released.  
"It's no use! Toph here is the greatest earthbender in the world. She'll crush you to a pulp unless you start talking!"  
"I-I don't know what you're talking about! I'm just a simple fisherman, please let me go!"  
Toph tightened her hold on him, "You're trying to smuggle the Elephant Koi Fish to the black market." "I don't even know what Elephant Koi are!"  
Toph and her friend laughed. "We know you're lying!" They had said it in unison; it was one of their favorite lines. The man's face turned red, and he hung his head in defeat. There was nothing he could do with the earth around him so tightly.  
The boy and earthbender slapped their hands together.  
"Job well done, Freedom Fighters, let's take him back to the village."  
"Finally!" Koko cried.

The man was handed over to the Kyoshi Warriors, who would be giving him a delightful trial against the Unagi.  
It was then that Koko left, waving goodbye to the Freedom Fighters. The boy frowned, "I guess she's not going to join, huh?"  
Toph put a hand on his shoulder, "Don't worry, Duke, next time we'll try recruiting in a place that isn't the hometown to the Kyoshi Warriors."The Duke blushed in embarrassment.  
She smacked him on the back. "You got me to join, didn't you? We'll just have to try elsewhere. Now let's go find the others, I'm starving!" She headed for the center of Kyoshi Island. The Duke watched her go for a second, and ran his fingers through his hair again. "I miss my helmet..." he muttered.

"Good job on catching that smuggler today you two!" Suki said happily handing Toph and The Duke their dinner.  
"How'd he hold up to the Unagi?" The Duke asked.  
The warrior laughed. "He didn't even make it that far before he was begging us to tie him back up."  
An arm wrapped around her shoulders, and pulled her to sit down. "So, in other words, the usual! Another score for the Kyoshi Warriors!"  
Toph blew the hair out of her eyes. "Uhm, what about the Freedom Fighters? We're the ones that caught him."  
The Duke laughed. "Trying to get on Suki's good side, Sokka?"

"No offense to the Freedom Fighters, but the Kyoshi Warriors have been protecting this Island before you were born. They also have more than two members."  
Suki pushed against Sokka's arm a bit, warning him to lay off. The Duke smiled. "Hey, we're getting there!"  
Toph decided go on the defensive. "Seriously, Sokka, why don't you tell us about how all you do when you're away is sit around drinking tea, and playing Pai Sho with old people?"  
Sokka's face went red with anger, "-"  
He stopped short from getting hit in the face with a dumpling. Everyone in the room giggled.  
Toph lowered her throwing arm, "Forget I asked."

It was that moment that Katara and Aang chose to walk in.  
Aang instantly flew over to the soup cauldron in the corner on the room. "Hey Toph, Duke, how'd the patrol go today?" The Duke spoke up. It's THE Duke, Aang. How many times do I have to remind you?"  
"Whoops, sorry. Guess I'm just used to Toph calling you-"  
"The patrol went fine!" The boy cried, hurriedly changing the subject.  
Thankfully, Suki caught on. "Yea, they caught a guy who was trying to sell the Elephant Koi to the Black Market!"  
Aang handed a bowl to Katara, and continued filling his own. "Great! Too bad he wasn't trying to catch the Unagi."  
Toph snorted. "And let it have all the fun?"  
"Speaking of fun," Katara interrupted "Did Sokka tell you about the Fire Festival yet?"  
No. The two younger ones replied.  
This caused the waterbender to shake her head, while her brother innocently looked around the room.  
Aang chimed in. "This year Zuko and Mai are hosting it! It's gunna be so much fun!"

Suki smiled excitedly. "We'll be leaving tomorrow. Even Ty Lee and I are taking time off to come."  
The Duke looked at Toph, her expressions where hard to read at times. "What do you say?" he asked, "The Freedom Fighters could stand a little vacation."  
The earthbender groaned. "I'd rather go play with the Unagi, and that's actually saying something."


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning had lived up to Toph's expectations. She had finally agreed to go due to some coaxing by The Duke, but hadn't expected to be shaken awake from her bed by Katara. When Toph protested, the water tribe girl explained that she had let her sleep to the last possible second. "Then wouldn't it have been easier to just carry me onto Appa?" The blind girl said, hiding under the covers.  
Katara wouldn't listen; she had already laid Toph's day clothes out for her to get ready.  
By the time the earthbender groggily made her way outside, everyone was still packing Appa's saddle.  
Toph made sure to punch The Duke extra hard for convincing her to go.  
"Morning to you too, Toph" He whispered, rubbing his arm.  
"It's about time you woke up. We were going to leave without you." Sokka teased, already seated next to his sister.  
"You still can you know" Toph muttered.  
The Duke put a hand on her shoulder. "Come on, it won't be that bad." He smiled bashfully, even though he knew she wouldn't see it. Toph faced his direction for a minute before nodding, then earthbended a platform so they both could get onto Appa safely.  
Suki and Ty Lee walked up with their belongings to load. Ty Lee was beaming from ear to ear.  
"Oh, you guys are going to LOVE the Fire Festival! It's one of my favorite parties of the year!"  
Katara raised an eyebrow "Party? Aang, Sokka, and I saw one in the Earth Kingdom, and it didn't look like much of a party."  
Aang laughed from Appa's head, "Maybe that's because we crashed it."  
In one swift movement the acrobat cart wheeled into her seat, and continued her conversation. "They're much more festive in the Fire Nation. Lots of DANCING and FIREBENDING!" She smiled at Suki who was now getting on, and pulled the Kyoshi Warrior into a hug.  
"Thank you SO much for letting me go!"  
Suki coughed for breathe until she was released, then discreetly started scooting away from her fellow warrior. "I think a vacation will do both of us some good."

Aang looked over at his companions "Is everybody ready?"  
Most of them nodded.  
"Then it's off to the Fire Nation! Appa, yip yip!"  
Everyone in the saddle jerked around as Appa lifted off. The Duke instinctively put his hands out to catch Toph. Instead, she bolted foreword and clung to the edge of the saddle. He put his hands to the edge also, hoping no one had seen his movement. He knew that Toph always clung to the seat when they were flying.  
He also knew they'd be in for a decently long ride, so it would be best not to make another move like that.  
At least, that's what he was hoping.

A few hours had passed, and the group was starting to get restless. Sokka had started to dig into a bag of blubber seal jerky, and Suki was sleeping next to him. Katara had gotten up to sit next to Aang, both were having a quiet conversation that only Toph would be able to hear.  
Ty Lee sat off in the corner sewing a pink garment, humming to herself.  
The Duke sighed, and looked at Toph. She hadn't said a word, let alone moved, since the flight started. "Are you alright?" He asked her, leaning in closely to see any signs of emotion.  
"Don't feel well...hate flying..." She mumbled.  
The boy put a hand on her shoulder, and tried smiling. "Well, you could always throw up in my helmet!" "What...helmet..?"  
"Ah..." Once again, he put his hand back onto the wooden seat and looked down. "Nevermind."  
"So, The Duke, Suki was telling me about this new group you created. The new Freedom Fighters?"  
He turned quickly to Ty Lee. "W-Well, it's not a very creative name. I couldn't think of anything else other than the Freedom Fighters, and that was Jet's idea." Katara shifted slightly in her seat next to Aang, but didn't look back.  
The pink clad girl thought for a minute "How about the Peace Keepers? Or The Peace Patrol!"  
The Duke heard a snort from the girl next to him.  
"Those aren't bad names, He said I'll think about it. We don't really need Freedom Fighters now that the war is over..."  
Sokka swallowed a mouthful of jerky before speaking "Maybe that's why people aren't joining your group, you need a cool name. Like Team Avatar, right?" He looked around for an agreement.  
Suki rolled her eyes, "Since when did we start calling ourselves that?" A whole new conversation had started, and The Duke was glad to be out of it. He noticed that Toph was starting to doze off, and figured it wouldn't hurt to do the same. If only she would let go of the saddle, he'd gladly help her to lie down and use his lap for a pillow. He wouldn't mind the stares from the group as he blushed madly at the contact, and tried resting his head against the board behind him while his hand lay softly on her head.  
But when he tried to lift his hand, he hesitated for a slight second. That was all the time the girl needed to curl into a ball in the opposite direction, and fall fast asleep. Yet another target missed by the leader of the Freedom Fighters.

It was nightfall when the gang finally made it to the Fire Nation Palace. Appa was already resting in the stables from a long day of flying, while the others were stretching their legs walking up to the main gates. One of the huge doors opened to reveal a somber looking Mai.  
"Oh, MAI~!" Ty Lee cried, jumping onto her friend. "It's so good to see you!" The raven haired girl patted Ty Lee lightly on the shoulder, then tried to pull her off, to no avail.  
She turned to the rest of her guests. "Zuko's waiting inside the main hall." Everyone proceeded inside, except for Ty Lee who was rambling on about how much the two had to catch up on. As promised, Zuko had been waiting for them. When he saw Aang he gave a bow, and then encompassed him into a hug. The Fire Lord bowed to the rest of his guests, and turned to his left.  
"Dinner's not ready yet, but if you follow me I'll show you to your rooms."  
"Finally." Sokka yawned. "I'll catch some beauty sleep before stuffing my face, great vacation!"  
Suki glared at him, but followed the others obediently. Katara walked arm in arm with Aang, "So how does it feel to be hosting the Fire Festival this year?" Zuko looked at them. "It wasn't really my idea...my advisor thought it would be 'fun'"  
The waterbender giggled. "Iroh knows you too well"  
Aang smiled. "Yea, I don't know how much Zuko and fun mix!" "I'm doing this for him, okay?" Zuko shouted, slightly going red.  
"Speaking of, where is Uncle Iroh?" Toph spoke up.  
"He's not here yet, he has to finish up some work at the tea shop. He'll be here in a few days."  
"That's some devotion there, Sparky. Throwing the Festival for your uncle even though he'll only see the end of it?"  
The Duke laughed at this.  
"You saw how happy Ty Lee is to be back, I'm sure it'll be the same for his uncle." said Suki.  
Zuko nodded, and came to a halt. "Aang, Katara, this is your room. I hope it's okay."

The two looked to see a room draped in ruby and gold coloring, a queen sized bed with silk sheets, velvet curtains with dragons on them, and even room for a study and meditation corner.  
They looked at each other, then at Zuko. "I think we'll manage." Aang said smoothly while Katara bowed, and made her way inside.  
"See you all at dinner." she said, closing the door after Aang.

Sokka and Suki were next, to which they were equally relieved. It finally had just come down to Toph and The Duke. "Here you go, Toph." Zuko said, stopping before another door. She was silent for a minute then walked over to the scar faced man. "Say, Zuko, you have any metal I can bend?" "Uh, sure. I'll have Mai bring you some later." "Make sure there's a lot of it." Toph grinned, and proceeded into her room.  
The Duke was last. By the time they had made it to his room he seemed a little disappointed.  
"What's wrong? Is it not what you were expecting?" Zuko asked a little astonished. He and The Duke barely knew each other, but he had the feeling he had missed something.  
"Are you and Toph-"  
"It's fine! I'm just tired is all!" he shouted and ran into his room. "Uh, thanks." He said, hiding behind the door and finally closing it. Zuko shook his head in confusion, and went to go find Mai.

The Duke tried sleeping in his bed, knowing he was also exhausted from the flight. However, he couldn't shake how distant Toph seemed to be since the Festival was even mentioned.  
Maybe she just needed some fun, something to get away from the formal visit they were making. Well, The Duke was certainly up for some fun with his friend!  
He made his way to her door slowly, his stomach churning as he crept closer. Just as he was coming up to her door, it opened. "Okay, Duke, what's up with the Twinkle Toes act? Think I wouldn't be able to sense your little footsteps?" She wiggled her fingers at him, as if teasing him for his height. It had been a few good years since she had been taller than him, but the short jokes never ceased.  
The Duke laughed, and patted her head. A habit he had picked up to counteract her continuous height teasing. "I just thought we could wreak a little havoc, you know, since you seem so down about the Festival and all."  
The girl took a step back. "Thanks, but now's not a good time." The Duke's eyes widened. "What? You mean you don't want to pull a prank on Sokka, or Aang?" he coaxed, trying to pull her out of her room.  
"Trust me, I usually don't pass up the chance to pick on those two...but I'm busy."  
"With what?"  
"None of your business."  
"Aw, come on Toph!"  
She put her hands on her hips, "I'll tell ya what, we can pull all the pranks we want at the Festival."  
"Will I at least see you at dinner?" He could tell as soon as he asked what her answer was going to be.  
"At the Festival, I promise."  
The door had slammed shut. The boy sighed at his failed attempt, and proceeded back to his room. He would wait for Toph at the Festival, like she promised.


	3. Chapter 3

As planned, the Fire Festival went off with a bang, literally. After Zuko had given the opening speech, and made his way through the crowd to find the group, fireworks had started going off.  
Everyone stared at them in awe, with the exception of Mai and Toph.  
"I knew fireworks were a bad idea." The Fire Lady sighed, "They're too colorful, and bright."  
Toph gave a wide smile next to her, and stomped her foot to the ground.  
"Sucks to be you!" she cried.  
"Way to ruin a good moment, you two." Sokka muttered from behind, causing both girls to smile deviously. "Looks like everyone's starting to get masks" Katara observed.  
"Let's go get some!" Aang said. He made an air scooter, and scooped up the water tribe girl.

"Did you just see that?" Sokka exclaimed, "Aang just took off with my SISTER!"  
"Like we didn't see that one coming." Toph retorted.  
Suki stifled a laugh, and pointed to a booth nearby. "Let's go get some Fire Flakes, Sokka."

Ty Lee popped up behind Mai excitedly, "What should we do? Oh, I know this amazing firebender who does shows every year!"  
The black haired girl rolled her eyes. "Well, Zuko and I did bother hiring him again this year."  
"Then what are we waiting for!"

The acrobat began pushing her friend away when The Duke walked up with a pair of masks.  
He handed one to Toph, "I know you don't really need one, but I think it'll be more fun with the scams."  
The blind earthbender gladly accepted when Zuko walked up.

"Where's Mai?" he immediately asked.  
The Duke put his mask on "I just saw Ty Lee run off with her."  
"If that's what you want to call it." Toph said, leaving her mask on the top of her bun.

"She s going to kill me." The Fire Lord said, grinning to himself.  
"Looks like you've got some competition there, Sparky."  
"Ha ha, very funny."

"Look, Zuko, we'd love to stay and chat," Toph walked over, and put her arm around The Duke's neck. "But we've got some important business to do."  
They both smiled at him innocently.  
He looked at them for a minute before frowning. "Don't tell me you two are going to go scamming."  
"You want in?"  
"No."  
"Suit yourself!" Toph turned around with The Duke struggling to get free of her near choke hold.  
"There are a lot of other things you can do than tricking people, you know." Zuko called "Sorry, Zuko" The Duke started "I know you put a lot of work into this, but we haven't exactly been looking forward to the Festival."  
"We?" Zuko raised his eyebrow. "You mean Toph, don't you?"  
The Duke was finally released of the earthbenders grip. "Like he said, sorry Zuko. I can't exactly enjoy the spectacle of firebending with these eyes." She pulled her bottom eye lids down to demonstrate, and then lifted her foot "and I'd rather not experience it with my feet again."  
The scar faced man rubbed the back of his neck in guilt. "I know this might not help, but you don't have to see fire, or have it thrown at you, to enjoy it."  
Toph crossed her arms while The Duke stared at Zuko in wonder. He walked up to them and put his hand out, making a fire in the palm.  
"I've learned that fire can spread and cause destruction, destroy lives." He put it closer so that the pair could feel its radiating heat. "But it brings us life, warmth we didn't know we had. It doesn't have to be seen to know how beautiful it is, only felt."  
With that he took Toph's wrist, and placed it just above the flame. The Duke swore he saw her face light up, and her eyes sparkle. Not wanting to be left out, he followed suit and placed his hand next to hers. The warmth was inviting, and caused his face to light up as well.  
Suddenly, Toph pulled her hand away. "Where'd you get that speech from? Uncle?"  
Zuko put his hand down, and the flame disappeared. "Not exactly."  
The wild haired youth stared at the two, wondering if the scene had any effect on his friend at all.  
"Still doesn't change your mind, does it?" he pushed.  
"Nope." she grinned, and walked up to Zuko, giving him a hard punch on the arm.  
"At least, not about the Festival."  
She ran off before the Fire Lord had regained his composure to speak again. The Duke went to run after her but quickly bowed to Zuko, and apologized for what they were about to do in his Festival.  
He noticed that the firebender didn't seem too distraught about it.

It was late into the night when Toph and The Duke entered the Fire Lord s palace. Immediately, the girl ripped off her mask and threw it aside The Duke gently took his mask off, and looked at her sheepishly. "I can't believe we were kicked out on the first night, now what are we going to do?"  
"It was worth it! Did you hear Sokka screaming when we tipped his boat over?"  
"Yea, I think Suki was pretty upset with that. It was supposed to be romantic."  
"She'll get over it. Sokka did carry her to the shore."  
They both laughed, and continued talking about their night. Finally, they made it to Toph's room. "Come inside for second." she said, opening her door to reveal a seriously cluttered room.  
The Duke considered asking how she could make the room so messy in just one night. His questioned was answered as she started banging her feet on the ground, sending whatever was left on the wall to the floor.  
When she seemed to have found what she was looking for, she inched closer to The Duke and said in a low voice "Close your eyes."  
Anxious, and altogether curious, he did as he was told. Something cold and metal fell onto his head. It fit perfectly into place, and finally tamed his unruly hair.  
"A- A helmet? MY helmet?" he exclaimed, relishing in the feel of having one back on his head.  
"Not really."  
"Oh. That's what you were busy working on last night, wasn't it?"  
The girl shuffled her feet, and hung her shoulders. "I felt bad about destroying your last one..."  
"I said I forgive you, it was an accident."  
Toph wasn't about to hear it. She put her arms around his neck, and buried her head in his chest. "And I said I was sorry." her stubborn voice was muffled by his clothing.  
He hugged her back, and tipped his helmet to hide his eyes. Not that he needed to, it was just a habit he had long gotten used to, and had missed.  
"Okay, you win." He said, "It's perfect, just like you little miss metalbender."  
He felt her face curve into a smile. No other words could beat that comment. 


End file.
